Realising the full benefits of the AUKUS submarine partnership needs long-term thinking

The AUKUS programme, a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States is intended to “promote a free and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable.” (Credit: Malcolm Park/Alamy Live News)

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Aukus will bolster security in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic, strengthen our most trusted alliances, and secure a vital technological advantage. Indeed, the Defence Committee found the partnership is more necessary than ever.

There is, too, a positive domestic story. Delivering a brand-new class of nuclear-powered submarines – the SSN-AUKUS class – to provide a common fleet for both the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy represents a crucial revitalisation of our industrial base. Aukus is not merely a foreign policy pact; it is a significant blueprint for British industrial expansion and economic growth.

Some 21,000 people will be working on the SSN-AUKUS in UK shipyards and across the supply chain at its peak. To meet the broader demands of the Defence Nuclear Enterprise, Britain’s nuclear workforce is forecast to increase by 40,000 by 2030. We are already seeing world-leading, highly oversubscribed skills academies stepping up to this challenge, creating highly skilled, high-wage jobs that will sustain families for decades.

The establishment of Defence Technical Excellence Colleges and the Defence Universities Alliance will better align education with our long-term industrial needs. A Defence Skills Passport will allow this highly trained workforce to move across the sector.

But delivering Aukus will require far more people than current plans can provide. This means new, innovative approaches to skills development are needed. We must build on what we already do well and use the unique recruitment opportunity to spread skilled jobs across the country.

Some £4 billion in contracts has already been signed for the design and prototyping of the SSN-AUKUS, alongside a £3 billion investment into advanced manufacturing capabilities. In 2025, a £9 billion contract was signed with Rolls-Royce to cover reactor design, manufacturing, and service. However, delivering SSN‑AUKUS requires steady government funding over many years and across multiple parliaments. This must be a cross-government priority, with an annual review comparing planned and actual investment.

As MP for Barrow and Furness, I see the transformative power of the Aukus partnership every day. We are targeting £1 billion in investment for the rapid overhaul of local infrastructure. This means building thousands of high-quality new homes, improving educational outcomes, regenerating the town centre, and upgrading healthcare and transport. This is not just about building submarines; it is about permanently rebuilding a community.

But we must also accelerate the integration of our supply chain. By proactively integrating SMEs directly into advanced capability projects, we can turn agile tech firms into industrial heavyweights, but only if the government moves faster to remove the bureaucratic hurdles blocking their entry.

Aukus is a phenomenal success story of cutting-edge innovation and local economic regeneration. However, to sustain and accelerate a multi-decade programme of this magnitude, we must ensure it enjoys unshakeable public support.

In recent years, there have been repeated calls for a more open and honest conversation with the public on defence and security issues. This is where parliamentarians can – and must – do more. As part of a wider conversation about the role of defence in society, Aukus provides a strong opportunity to show the real, practical benefits that a successful defence industry can bring to local economies across the UK.

MPs have an important role to play in delivering this message locally, but to do so the MOD should take a more open and proactive approach to working with MPs and engaging with the media to support this shared aim.

The Defence Committee inquiry has highlighted how important the Aukus partnership is, while also making clear the scale and complexity of what is needed to deliver it. For Britain, Aukus brings significant challenges as well as major opportunities. As parliamentarians, we must play our part to build public understanding and secure the sustained political commitment and investment needed for this long-term national endeavour.

Michelle Scrogham is Labour MP for Barrow and Furness and chair of the Aukus APPG